Beach or Sea Challenge!

This week's Stampotique Designer's Challenges is "Beach or Sea".  Here's a blurb about the theme.

"The beach is always such a relaxing place to be, whether it's sun or just fun in the sand and surf, let's see your best beach or sea themed projects this week."

If you'd like the chance to win your choice of $30 worth of Stampotique stamps, you should play along with this challenge. Visit Stampotique Designers Challenge blog and be sure to read the rules so that you'll have the chance to win that great prize!!! Remember to check to see the deadline for all of this month's Stampotique Designers Challenges!

Here's my card with Stampotique's Smushasha (Daniel Torrente),  Mansfield Sea Turtle (Daniel Torrente), Roger (Daniel Torrente), Gawan (Amy Wilson-Wellenstein), and Balin (Amy Wilson-Wellenstein).

Smushasha, Roger, and two Balins were stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) onto Neenah cardstock and onto Eclipse Tape (Judikins). The Eclipse Tape versions were fussy-cut and placed over Smushasha, Roger, and the lower Balin on the cardstock. Mansfield and Gawan were stamped over the masks. All the masks were removed and the images were colored with Copic markers.  The Octopus stencil (The Crafter's Workshop) was placed over the sides of the image panel and the long seaweeds were traced with a Copic marker. The Aquarium stencil (The Crafter's Workshop) was placed over the image panel and the coral was traced. The stencils were lifted and Copic markers were used to fill in the seaweed and coral images. When I was happy with the image panel, BG Copic markers were airbrushed over top. The image panel was set aside while I created the rest of the card.

140 lb. Mixed Media cardstock (Strathmore) was cut to 10" x 7" and scored at 5". One of the Circle Nestabilities dies was used to die-cut a circular aperture from the card front. Mixed Media cardstock was die-cut three times with the Porthole die (Marianne Designs) and twice with the Dots border die (QuicKutz). The card front, the inside of the card front, the Portholes, the Dots Borders, and the extra scraps of Mixed Media cardstock were sponged with several layers of Metallic Silver Media Fluid Acrylic (MFA) paint (DecoArt). A Nuts and Bolts Punch die (Marianne Designs) was used to die-cut a silver-painted scrap of cardstock. The philip head screws were brushed with black paint, which was immediately wiped back, leaving black paint in the cross of each screw. Black Artist Brush Pen (Faber-Castell) was used to add some definition to two of the porthole dies.

Rust paint was created by mixing Media Ultra Matte Varnish (DecoArt), Payne's Grey, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and Media Silver MFA paints in a small empty jar. The edges of the Dot Border die-cuts and the edges of one of the Porthole die-cuts were painted with the rust paint. The hinge from the second painted Porthole was fussy-cut, edged with the rust paint and placed atop its counterpart. The philip-head screws were adhered to the porthole.

A slightly larger die from the Circles Nestabilities die set was used to die-cut acetate, which was adhered to the underside of the painted embellished Porthole die-cut, which was then adhered over the aperture. The second silver-painted Porthole die-cut was adhered to the inside of the card over the aperture.

Screws from Andy Skinner Industrial Elements Bolt and Washers chipboard sheet (Tando Creative) were painted with Silver Metallic MFA paint. The Dot Border die-cuts were adhered to the card as shown and the silver-painted chipboard screws were adhered over the dots. More rust paint was added here and there to the card front to add to the visual interest.

The image panel was adhered to the inside of the card and I called it done!

Here are two more views of the card!

Inside Spread

Image Panel

Thanks for visiting today!

I shall enter this card into the following challenges:
• DecoArt Media's Under the Sea Challenge
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenges: By the Sea
• Fashionable Stamping Challenge: Under the Sea
• Mixed Media World Challenges: Under the Sea